I was scanning the news this morning, and saw this little nugget. My first impression: "Good. These asshats SHOULD face the supreme court, or at least angry mobs while they're making these blatant power grabs! Ha!!"
Then I read into the article: Governor Rick Scott wants to make state employees subject to random drug testing. Like they can afford any of the expensive crap on a public salary, current right-wing media opinion be damned.
Okay, on the one hand, if you want to be a state worker, most private corporations have been requiring random drug testing since the mid-90's. There's a certain sense of parity in it.
For the record, I think marijuana should be legalized. The idea of a stoner committing a home invasion for pot money gives me the giggles. So, if all other things are equal, and pot's legal, then yeah, I think you should be subject to random drug testing if you're feeding at the public trough.
It dovetails nicely, though, into Governor Scott's not-so-subtle goal: drug testing welfare recipients. He's coming at it sort of sideways, the argument being that if you're getting a check from "the state", then you should have to meet the same criteria as actual state employees.
Dear Lord, I not only agree with a Republican, I'd not mind going one step further: mandatory birth control during receipt of welfare support.
Now, I don't think all welfare recipients are bad people, or lifetime moochers, and I don't think anyone who's had the misfortune to need welfare would call it their ticket to riches.
Having said that, I do think that the social safety net can and should come with strings attached. If you are collecting a check from the state, and using it to buy illegal drugs, you've obviously got some disposable income; if I'm the one issuing the check, I'd feel compelled to look very closely at why someone so down on their luck as to need state assistance has disposable income.
And, yes, I think it ties in with the general economy, only because if Governor Scott can get at least the welfare-recipient case past the Supremes, we may well find out one of two things:
A. We may find out that the majority of welfare recipients are NOT sitting around smoking crack all day, and are just good people in bad situations who need a little help. Or...
B. We may find, and weed out, a chunk of system abusers who don't have any right to collect anything from the state, because their "real" income is off the books, and criminal.
Same for Section 8 recipients; same for food stamps. And, yes, I think if you are receiving state or federal aid, you should refrain from getting pregnant; I also believe if you are receiving aid, that birth control should be FREE.
I think you can also see a case building here for drug testing unemployment beneficiaries as well... seems a logical step, and again, if pot were legal, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
So, as reluctant as I am to admit it, with that one caveat, I agree with Governor Scott. I see a potential for savings at the state level that, for ONCE, doesn't involve destroying the lives of teachers, firefighters, and police officers.
Brutal Truth
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A Return to Reason: All Hail Ireland!
You know that disturbing, nagging feeling - easily mistaken for gas - you've had as state after state pushes blindly forward with "austerity" measures? Union busting will solve all of our problems, oh, and we're cutting off your extended, "emergency" unemployment compensation, etc.??
Recently, I read that NINE different states are REFUSING 100% federally funded unemployment benefits. See here. Cut-off dates as early as April 4th of this year are imminent for thousands of long-term unemployed. Scott Walker's step into insanity legislation is being held up by a court order, but his republican legislators have posted the "law" on the Web, and really believe that constitutes enactment. Check this out.
In the troubled European Union, Brits are protesting austerity measures. In the streets. In Greece, fire-bombs ruled the day as that country introduced austerity measures.
Into this bubbling turmoil marches Ireland, who recently un-seated its government over austerity measures of its own, required to secure a bail out from the EU and the International Monetary Fund. The reason?
Brace yourselves:
The people of Ireland don't think they should have to shoulder the entire burden of paying for greedy, arrogant bankers' mistakes.
Crazy talk, huh?
Only this is what America SHOULD have been doing since 2008, Bernanke and Geithner be damned. Instead, we have allowed ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to be sold to a bankster elite that will keep them on treadmills of penury for their entire taxpaying lifetimes.
THIS is why I'm so happy about the Irish public, the new Irish government, and their proposition as of this writing. Thank GOD for you, Emerald Isle.
If the Irish can hold their ground, things are going to get VERY ugly within the EU, and it may destroy the currency, bringing a multitude of smaller, leaner currencies (with, believe it or not, ACCURATE values) back onto the trading floor. This will bring on a certain level of chaos, as most EU countries are broke (Hint: this is why they JOINED the EU to begin with. Just sayin').
But here's what's exciting: remember Mohammed Bouazizi? Probably not, but you should. See this for a reminder. His story, his unthinkable act, as pointed out in the ZeroHedge article, sparked the toppling of governments that has yet to finish rippling outward. Ireland, without a doubt, has the potential to put an end to this "publicize losses, privatize profits" landscape that the oligarchy has built.
Remember Iceland? Sure you do; their finance-built economy blew up - much like ours, and frankly, most everyone else's, has, whether we admit it or not - they put their bailout package for their Too Big To Fail banks to a referendum vote - and IT LOST.
Guess what? The country didn't sink, their economy has flushed out most of its losses, and they're recovering - WITHOUT cossetting criminal racketeers and padding their wallets with untold amounts of taxpayer dollars. And it's only been two years, for cryin' out loud. THIS CAN BE DONE, and that's been a big part of my "howling in the dark" frustration.
So, look east, my friends, and wish the Emerald Isle strength and courage. They'll need it, and if they stand and are true, there's hope for the rest of us yet.
Brutal Truth
Recently, I read that NINE different states are REFUSING 100% federally funded unemployment benefits. See here. Cut-off dates as early as April 4th of this year are imminent for thousands of long-term unemployed. Scott Walker's step into insanity legislation is being held up by a court order, but his republican legislators have posted the "law" on the Web, and really believe that constitutes enactment. Check this out.
In the troubled European Union, Brits are protesting austerity measures. In the streets. In Greece, fire-bombs ruled the day as that country introduced austerity measures.
Into this bubbling turmoil marches Ireland, who recently un-seated its government over austerity measures of its own, required to secure a bail out from the EU and the International Monetary Fund. The reason?
Brace yourselves:
The people of Ireland don't think they should have to shoulder the entire burden of paying for greedy, arrogant bankers' mistakes.
Crazy talk, huh?
Only this is what America SHOULD have been doing since 2008, Bernanke and Geithner be damned. Instead, we have allowed ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to be sold to a bankster elite that will keep them on treadmills of penury for their entire taxpaying lifetimes.
THIS is why I'm so happy about the Irish public, the new Irish government, and their proposition as of this writing. Thank GOD for you, Emerald Isle.
If the Irish can hold their ground, things are going to get VERY ugly within the EU, and it may destroy the currency, bringing a multitude of smaller, leaner currencies (with, believe it or not, ACCURATE values) back onto the trading floor. This will bring on a certain level of chaos, as most EU countries are broke (Hint: this is why they JOINED the EU to begin with. Just sayin').
But here's what's exciting: remember Mohammed Bouazizi? Probably not, but you should. See this for a reminder. His story, his unthinkable act, as pointed out in the ZeroHedge article, sparked the toppling of governments that has yet to finish rippling outward. Ireland, without a doubt, has the potential to put an end to this "publicize losses, privatize profits" landscape that the oligarchy has built.
Remember Iceland? Sure you do; their finance-built economy blew up - much like ours, and frankly, most everyone else's, has, whether we admit it or not - they put their bailout package for their Too Big To Fail banks to a referendum vote - and IT LOST.
Guess what? The country didn't sink, their economy has flushed out most of its losses, and they're recovering - WITHOUT cossetting criminal racketeers and padding their wallets with untold amounts of taxpayer dollars. And it's only been two years, for cryin' out loud. THIS CAN BE DONE, and that's been a big part of my "howling in the dark" frustration.
So, look east, my friends, and wish the Emerald Isle strength and courage. They'll need it, and if they stand and are true, there's hope for the rest of us yet.
Brutal Truth
Saturday, March 12, 2011
It Can't Happen Here... Except It IS.
I actually put off this post for a day or two, trying to organize my thoughts, conquer my terror, and find a way to be reasonable about it.
That didn't work, so here I am. I'd like very much for you to check this out.
In my mind, this amounts to a couple of different things. First, and foremost, I agree with Ms. Maddow that this is a blatant power-grab. See Wisconsin, see Ohio. These are the people that "we" voted into office; as we say down here in the Islands, "what you will not hear, you will feel". Imagine there was NO recall effort, or "move your money" effort in Wisconsin right now. Please see this. If this latest deal finishes itself, and it seems apparent that it will, what then? It's the inevitability of it that makes me nauseous.
The idea that a conservative state governor, or legislature, could actually remove elected officials in the name of a so-called "budget emergency" makes my gut churn. To add a little salt, the idea that those same entities could then replace those officials with their own hand-picked leaders fills my heart with terror. This is, literally, in my twisted mind, the Tea Party on crack.
Problem is, it's WORKING. Jesus Christ, already.
Okay, on down the slippery slope: Your Town is now declared to be in a Budget Emergency. Your Town no longer gets a council, no longer has a mayor, no longer has a taxation authority, courtesy of Big Brother Governor, who sees that you are in trouble and can't possibly take care of yourselves in this "time of crisis".
Who's in charge, then? Well, somebody your Benevolent Benefactor sees as fit to be in charge, that's who. One person. Hired person. Not elected, not subject to recall, basically a "President For Life" of Your Town, USA. And, who shall it be? You won't know until they show up for 'work'. You won't be told, you won't have a voice, you won't have a CHOICE; Governor-Daddy's gonna do all that 'hard thinking' for you, and pick a "winner" for Your Town.
Whether you like it or not. Did I mention Governor-Daddy's gonna cut off all your local and county funding to make sure this happens? See the link above, or Google the latest and greatest on this event. Governor-Daddy's gonna pick someone really 'cool' in his eyes to 'help you out', and make the painful decisions that you just couldn't face.
Your Town is gonna 'take some medicine', 'mend its ways', or otherwise toe the governor's line until he says stop. Yeah, Democracy!
Important side note: the Federal Government has recently denied individual states the ability to declare bankruptcy, in ANY form. So, you're a conservative governor, your state is broke, and you're left with the bills from the counties, and cities, of your state to fill in the checks for. You don't have the cash. You and your predecessors have failed to put aside money for all the needs of the cities and counties during the boom times, and now those times are gone, and revenue has gone down the tubes. You MUST, by law, present a balanced budget, somehow. What better way to do this than to cut off funding and fund-matching to all the little cities and towns in your state? Let's face it, it's a no-brainer (a specialty of the right-wing, IMHO). Guess what that makes for? You guessed it, a Budget Emergency, and here we are, back at the beginning of this whole mess.
Or, as I think of it, the end of the Great American Democracy Experiment.
Okay, so here we are: who's gonna 'clean up' Your Town? And here's where the wording of the bill gets dicey, even for this Draconian bullshit: the legislation itself does NOT delineate between a "person" and a "corporation" in naming the 'entity' who will 'clean up' Your Town. Could be Bob Evans, or George Soros, or it could be Verizon. Imagine, you grew up in Avon Lake, Ohio, and now it's been re-named Verizon Lake, Ohio. Or Boeing Lake, Ohio.
But, why stop there? What about Sony Lake, Ohio? Or Toshiba Lake? Or Samsung Lake?
And this brings me to my second point: Why has America lost so much of its manufacturing base? Wages. Benefits. Retirement. Why pay someone $25.00 an hour to make those oven mitts you use every day, when you can pay some poor slob in Thailand $.25 cents A DAY to make fifty pair? Who needs paid holidays? These hard-working Asians don't. They just want to EAT, and food prices are through the roof these days, so they'll work until they drop over, and send their kids to work for themselves if they're sick.
Sorry to have to break it to you, but Ross Perot was right... out-sourcing, although he only saw it in limited scope, has been the scourge of the American manufacturing base, and the fact is, we don't "make things" much here anymore, unless you count bizarre and byzantine financial instruments designed to strip you of any wealth you can possibly accumulate. All legal and taxation incentives to prevent out-sourcing have been gone since the late 90's, and yes, I was a Clinton fan, but DAMN, he helped screw us over, too.
So, I want to tie this together for you: we have two problems, and they can be bundled together all nice and neat by this new wave of Non-Democracy. One: the states are broke (thanks to the Fed, bought and paid for by the corporate oligarchy). Two: the states are using their unallowed bankruptcy to qualify them for basically selling off their contiguous parts: their cities and counties. If you don't like it, screw off. By putting the Your Town's of their states up for bidding, they can not only pay off their bills, they can set the stage for the last, final equalizer to out-sourcing:
Wage parity.
With Third World Countries.
How? Think of all the folks who 'couldn't' leave New Orleans during Katrina. In 2005. Sure, if you've got the means, and you have a job, or a job to go to (where?), you can leave 'Verizon Lake, Ohio', but what if you don't? What if you can't? And, there you have it, a built-in, captive work-force. What about your mortgage? No problem, says the new Manager of Verizon Lake, we'll take care of that; our subsidiary works with Bank of America, and we'll take over payments for you, as long as you sign this Work Agreement. Wages? Well, we can't pay you much, since we're paying for your housing, but hey, that bill's off your plate, right? Can't afford groceries? Hey, we'll help with that; you can have unlimited credit at our grocery store; whatever it takes to keep you fed... and working.
Car payment? No problem; but you realize we won't be able to pay you much after we negotiate a payment with your dealership. We want you here; you're a 'great worker'.
Realize that, once those little 'things' are taken care of by the Emergency Financial Management Company, that minimum wage laws no longer apply. And there you go, unable to move, having "finally" found work, but work that brings its own poison into your home, your car, your family.
This, in its rawest form, is the end of the America, the USA, as we know or knew it.
Do you have the means to move? Who is in your village? Can you save your family, or yourself, from this latest, most blatant, attack on your ability to survive? What are you willing to contribute, to another country, or another village, to earn your new citizenship? Because this is what it all boils down to, one way or another: where can I be a citizen with basic freedoms? Not in Michigan, apparently, or anywhere in the midwest. How long till it spreads? How long till Arizona runs out of assets to sell and lease back? How long before the new Emergency Financial Manager of "My Town" sends me a notice of my new 'job' and the money I will be making?
It is NOW, and I do mean, NOW, time to stand, and be true. To yourselves, to the ones you love, to the country you remember.
Will you stand?
Will you be true?
Brutal Truth
That didn't work, so here I am. I'd like very much for you to check this out.
In my mind, this amounts to a couple of different things. First, and foremost, I agree with Ms. Maddow that this is a blatant power-grab. See Wisconsin, see Ohio. These are the people that "we" voted into office; as we say down here in the Islands, "what you will not hear, you will feel". Imagine there was NO recall effort, or "move your money" effort in Wisconsin right now. Please see this. If this latest deal finishes itself, and it seems apparent that it will, what then? It's the inevitability of it that makes me nauseous.
The idea that a conservative state governor, or legislature, could actually remove elected officials in the name of a so-called "budget emergency" makes my gut churn. To add a little salt, the idea that those same entities could then replace those officials with their own hand-picked leaders fills my heart with terror. This is, literally, in my twisted mind, the Tea Party on crack.
Problem is, it's WORKING. Jesus Christ, already.
Okay, on down the slippery slope: Your Town is now declared to be in a Budget Emergency. Your Town no longer gets a council, no longer has a mayor, no longer has a taxation authority, courtesy of Big Brother Governor, who sees that you are in trouble and can't possibly take care of yourselves in this "time of crisis".
Who's in charge, then? Well, somebody your Benevolent Benefactor sees as fit to be in charge, that's who. One person. Hired person. Not elected, not subject to recall, basically a "President For Life" of Your Town, USA. And, who shall it be? You won't know until they show up for 'work'. You won't be told, you won't have a voice, you won't have a CHOICE; Governor-Daddy's gonna do all that 'hard thinking' for you, and pick a "winner" for Your Town.
Whether you like it or not. Did I mention Governor-Daddy's gonna cut off all your local and county funding to make sure this happens? See the link above, or Google the latest and greatest on this event. Governor-Daddy's gonna pick someone really 'cool' in his eyes to 'help you out', and make the painful decisions that you just couldn't face.
Your Town is gonna 'take some medicine', 'mend its ways', or otherwise toe the governor's line until he says stop. Yeah, Democracy!
Important side note: the Federal Government has recently denied individual states the ability to declare bankruptcy, in ANY form. So, you're a conservative governor, your state is broke, and you're left with the bills from the counties, and cities, of your state to fill in the checks for. You don't have the cash. You and your predecessors have failed to put aside money for all the needs of the cities and counties during the boom times, and now those times are gone, and revenue has gone down the tubes. You MUST, by law, present a balanced budget, somehow. What better way to do this than to cut off funding and fund-matching to all the little cities and towns in your state? Let's face it, it's a no-brainer (a specialty of the right-wing, IMHO). Guess what that makes for? You guessed it, a Budget Emergency, and here we are, back at the beginning of this whole mess.
Or, as I think of it, the end of the Great American Democracy Experiment.
Okay, so here we are: who's gonna 'clean up' Your Town? And here's where the wording of the bill gets dicey, even for this Draconian bullshit: the legislation itself does NOT delineate between a "person" and a "corporation" in naming the 'entity' who will 'clean up' Your Town. Could be Bob Evans, or George Soros, or it could be Verizon. Imagine, you grew up in Avon Lake, Ohio, and now it's been re-named Verizon Lake, Ohio. Or Boeing Lake, Ohio.
But, why stop there? What about Sony Lake, Ohio? Or Toshiba Lake? Or Samsung Lake?
And this brings me to my second point: Why has America lost so much of its manufacturing base? Wages. Benefits. Retirement. Why pay someone $25.00 an hour to make those oven mitts you use every day, when you can pay some poor slob in Thailand $.25 cents A DAY to make fifty pair? Who needs paid holidays? These hard-working Asians don't. They just want to EAT, and food prices are through the roof these days, so they'll work until they drop over, and send their kids to work for themselves if they're sick.
Sorry to have to break it to you, but Ross Perot was right... out-sourcing, although he only saw it in limited scope, has been the scourge of the American manufacturing base, and the fact is, we don't "make things" much here anymore, unless you count bizarre and byzantine financial instruments designed to strip you of any wealth you can possibly accumulate. All legal and taxation incentives to prevent out-sourcing have been gone since the late 90's, and yes, I was a Clinton fan, but DAMN, he helped screw us over, too.
So, I want to tie this together for you: we have two problems, and they can be bundled together all nice and neat by this new wave of Non-Democracy. One: the states are broke (thanks to the Fed, bought and paid for by the corporate oligarchy). Two: the states are using their unallowed bankruptcy to qualify them for basically selling off their contiguous parts: their cities and counties. If you don't like it, screw off. By putting the Your Town's of their states up for bidding, they can not only pay off their bills, they can set the stage for the last, final equalizer to out-sourcing:
Wage parity.
With Third World Countries.
How? Think of all the folks who 'couldn't' leave New Orleans during Katrina. In 2005. Sure, if you've got the means, and you have a job, or a job to go to (where?), you can leave 'Verizon Lake, Ohio', but what if you don't? What if you can't? And, there you have it, a built-in, captive work-force. What about your mortgage? No problem, says the new Manager of Verizon Lake, we'll take care of that; our subsidiary works with Bank of America, and we'll take over payments for you, as long as you sign this Work Agreement. Wages? Well, we can't pay you much, since we're paying for your housing, but hey, that bill's off your plate, right? Can't afford groceries? Hey, we'll help with that; you can have unlimited credit at our grocery store; whatever it takes to keep you fed... and working.
Car payment? No problem; but you realize we won't be able to pay you much after we negotiate a payment with your dealership. We want you here; you're a 'great worker'.
Realize that, once those little 'things' are taken care of by the Emergency Financial Management Company, that minimum wage laws no longer apply. And there you go, unable to move, having "finally" found work, but work that brings its own poison into your home, your car, your family.
This, in its rawest form, is the end of the America, the USA, as we know or knew it.
Do you have the means to move? Who is in your village? Can you save your family, or yourself, from this latest, most blatant, attack on your ability to survive? What are you willing to contribute, to another country, or another village, to earn your new citizenship? Because this is what it all boils down to, one way or another: where can I be a citizen with basic freedoms? Not in Michigan, apparently, or anywhere in the midwest. How long till it spreads? How long till Arizona runs out of assets to sell and lease back? How long before the new Emergency Financial Manager of "My Town" sends me a notice of my new 'job' and the money I will be making?
It is NOW, and I do mean, NOW, time to stand, and be true. To yourselves, to the ones you love, to the country you remember.
Will you stand?
Will you be true?
Brutal Truth
Monday, March 7, 2011
Food Club
So, you might remember a cult classic from the 90's called "Fight Club". If you don't, go rent it, and I promise you'll see something different from the usual action crap that tends to be available. Taking a page from that script, I have twisted the title to my own ends.
The first rule of Food Club is: About 90% of what's available at your local grocery store is NOT food.
The second rule of Food Club is: Your local grocery store, and all its product purveyors, don't want you to know this.
The reason I bring this up tonight is that I see a god-awful amount of power-grabbing going on in our country, and others. I see what shreds of our civil rights are left being fed into an elaborate web created by the very people we elected (or failed to vote against) to help us create change. The Wisconsin situation is the obvious one; did you realize that a similar bill was recently passed in Ohio? See this. It has yet to make the Senate (they're for it) or the Governor (he's also for it), but it has about half the provisions in common with the Wisconsin legislation. What they take away half of this year, they WILL come get the rest of next year.
How are these things related to Food Club? I think you're going to need a clear head, and VERY sharp vision in the coming months. I need you to pay attention to what's happening around you - this means lifting your head from your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and not texting your location and the OMG good time you're having every 5 minutes - and taking a hard, analytical look at your world.
Think we're running enough wars already? Check this. Or, maybe you think that if you're not a teacher, or a firefighter, or an administrative assistant for your local municipality, you're rights are probably okay? Take a deep breath, and read this.
So, yeah, I want you to read (or re-read) Ayn Rand's opus, Atlas Shrugged. But if you won't, or can't, read that, I want you to take a half hour with the food in your kitchen, and get a REAL grip on what's going into your body. Really, I mean it. Take a hard look at the food you're eating, and consider this: One reason we haven't been hit "as hard" by food inflation over the last six months is because our food has so little food in it.
Why? Because, like turning off (or throwing away) your television is a big step, but it's an important one; you can free up so much time to THINK, read, absorb, and relate to the world and the people around you.
And, I think if you look closely at what you get for your food budget, you'll find a minimum of 12 ingredients that you can't understand, or have no idea how your body will process it. Think of it this way: if your Grandma wouldn't think it's food, it probably isn't. If a 3rd grader can't pronounce it, does it really need to be in your system? Food is the ultimate drug: we're all 'hooked' if we want to survive. Gotta eat, right? But just WHAT are you eating, and how long would it take to get off of Big Agra meats and their by-products?
Here's something that'll get you thinking: 80% of the antibiotics prescribed in America are for agricultural animals. Think about that next time you sit down with Chicken Tonight.
And, IMHO, you'll feel better, be healthier (thus avoiding the nightmare that our medical system has become), and think more clearly for longer periods if you can make good food choices. And, who knows, maybe you'll be able to be part of a solution set for you and yours and your community - whomever you choose to be a part of your village - instead of waiting to get the e-mail that may never be sent.
I'd love to see a list of what chemicals/additives/preservatives you found in your kitchen. Once you've gotten off the processed-food, aren't so white sugar addicted, and have freed up some time away from the TV and Crackberry, I think you'll find that we need as many 'clear' minds as we can drag together.
Try this little snippet, from Romania, circa 1985, here. Then, look at your food one more time, and promise yourself and your loved ones you can 'unhook' from the poison that IS OUR FOOD SUPPLY.
So, to paraphrase "Fight Club" one more time: "If it's the first time your world is crumbling, you have to fight."
Brutal Truth
The first rule of Food Club is: About 90% of what's available at your local grocery store is NOT food.
The second rule of Food Club is: Your local grocery store, and all its product purveyors, don't want you to know this.
The reason I bring this up tonight is that I see a god-awful amount of power-grabbing going on in our country, and others. I see what shreds of our civil rights are left being fed into an elaborate web created by the very people we elected (or failed to vote against) to help us create change. The Wisconsin situation is the obvious one; did you realize that a similar bill was recently passed in Ohio? See this. It has yet to make the Senate (they're for it) or the Governor (he's also for it), but it has about half the provisions in common with the Wisconsin legislation. What they take away half of this year, they WILL come get the rest of next year.
How are these things related to Food Club? I think you're going to need a clear head, and VERY sharp vision in the coming months. I need you to pay attention to what's happening around you - this means lifting your head from your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and not texting your location and the OMG good time you're having every 5 minutes - and taking a hard, analytical look at your world.
Think we're running enough wars already? Check this. Or, maybe you think that if you're not a teacher, or a firefighter, or an administrative assistant for your local municipality, you're rights are probably okay? Take a deep breath, and read this.
So, yeah, I want you to read (or re-read) Ayn Rand's opus, Atlas Shrugged. But if you won't, or can't, read that, I want you to take a half hour with the food in your kitchen, and get a REAL grip on what's going into your body. Really, I mean it. Take a hard look at the food you're eating, and consider this: One reason we haven't been hit "as hard" by food inflation over the last six months is because our food has so little food in it.
Why? Because, like turning off (or throwing away) your television is a big step, but it's an important one; you can free up so much time to THINK, read, absorb, and relate to the world and the people around you.
And, I think if you look closely at what you get for your food budget, you'll find a minimum of 12 ingredients that you can't understand, or have no idea how your body will process it. Think of it this way: if your Grandma wouldn't think it's food, it probably isn't. If a 3rd grader can't pronounce it, does it really need to be in your system? Food is the ultimate drug: we're all 'hooked' if we want to survive. Gotta eat, right? But just WHAT are you eating, and how long would it take to get off of Big Agra meats and their by-products?
Here's something that'll get you thinking: 80% of the antibiotics prescribed in America are for agricultural animals. Think about that next time you sit down with Chicken Tonight.
And, IMHO, you'll feel better, be healthier (thus avoiding the nightmare that our medical system has become), and think more clearly for longer periods if you can make good food choices. And, who knows, maybe you'll be able to be part of a solution set for you and yours and your community - whomever you choose to be a part of your village - instead of waiting to get the e-mail that may never be sent.
I'd love to see a list of what chemicals/additives/preservatives you found in your kitchen. Once you've gotten off the processed-food, aren't so white sugar addicted, and have freed up some time away from the TV and Crackberry, I think you'll find that we need as many 'clear' minds as we can drag together.
Try this little snippet, from Romania, circa 1985, here. Then, look at your food one more time, and promise yourself and your loved ones you can 'unhook' from the poison that IS OUR FOOD SUPPLY.
So, to paraphrase "Fight Club" one more time: "If it's the first time your world is crumbling, you have to fight."
Brutal Truth
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Reading Assignment...
Okay, so it's been a while... there's been a lot of bad news, and a lot of cover up of the real news, and honestly, I wanted to stay away for the end-of-year holidays... hell, have a good time, right?
Did you stock up on some much-needed staples? Did you do your diligence about conserving water, and find a way to save it for your own (later) use? Have you planted anything in your backyard garden? Maybe I've also been struck by the futile feeling of "howling in the dark". But, I'm a persistent bugger, so I'm back at it.
I've also been left with more questions than answers lately: strangely enough, I've been watching the "drop-out" rate on unemployment. Shadow economy? People aren't just throwing themselves off of bridges in fits of despair; they're dropping out of the work-force. What does that really mean? They're finding ways to support themselves and/or their families outside of mainstream employment. How?
It was actually the protests in Madison, Wisconsin that set my pen to paper again. This may be the biggest battle yet; please see the article I posted on FB about the root of the issue. Hint: It AIN'T the money. If the Republicans and Teabaggers can break the back of the public workers' unions - think Reagan and the Air Traffic Controllers - we have truly torn the cover off of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and fallen inside the story.
So, I challenge you to read it. Better, I challenge you to read it, and compare and contrast it with today's current economy. It's a big book, perhaps the last true American Romantic book. You won't get much from the Cliff's Notes. But that's what these times are about, aren't they? Taking up challenges we'd rather not have; expanding our worldviews to grasp concepts we didn't want to have to think about.
Here's what's coming, and not from Ms. Rand's novel: Revolution. I'm speaking it now, here, and the thought makes me feel weak and ineffective. But, we're all gonna have to 'grow a pair' and a LOT sooner than we thought, in much less abstract ways than we thought.
Read the book. And, yes, there will be a test.
A damned big test.
Till then, be safe, be prepared.
Brutal Truth
Did you stock up on some much-needed staples? Did you do your diligence about conserving water, and find a way to save it for your own (later) use? Have you planted anything in your backyard garden? Maybe I've also been struck by the futile feeling of "howling in the dark". But, I'm a persistent bugger, so I'm back at it.
I've also been left with more questions than answers lately: strangely enough, I've been watching the "drop-out" rate on unemployment. Shadow economy? People aren't just throwing themselves off of bridges in fits of despair; they're dropping out of the work-force. What does that really mean? They're finding ways to support themselves and/or their families outside of mainstream employment. How?
It was actually the protests in Madison, Wisconsin that set my pen to paper again. This may be the biggest battle yet; please see the article I posted on FB about the root of the issue. Hint: It AIN'T the money. If the Republicans and Teabaggers can break the back of the public workers' unions - think Reagan and the Air Traffic Controllers - we have truly torn the cover off of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and fallen inside the story.
So, I challenge you to read it. Better, I challenge you to read it, and compare and contrast it with today's current economy. It's a big book, perhaps the last true American Romantic book. You won't get much from the Cliff's Notes. But that's what these times are about, aren't they? Taking up challenges we'd rather not have; expanding our worldviews to grasp concepts we didn't want to have to think about.
Here's what's coming, and not from Ms. Rand's novel: Revolution. I'm speaking it now, here, and the thought makes me feel weak and ineffective. But, we're all gonna have to 'grow a pair' and a LOT sooner than we thought, in much less abstract ways than we thought.
Read the book. And, yes, there will be a test.
A damned big test.
Till then, be safe, be prepared.
Brutal Truth
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Great Retirement Takeover 2010
By now, news of Ireland's coming bailout is not news to anyone. Unfortunately, upon entering into the EU, they caught the same bug as so many other small economies of the region: easy lending, easy money, big booms in housing and commercial real estate.
Followed, of course, by no lending, no money, and properties (and buildings) with little to no value when stacked up against the tremendous amounts owed on them. Sound familiar?
I first started to fume when Professor Paul Krugman, a Nobel Laureate with whom I often disagree, but actually respect, wrote an op-ed for the NY Times in which he chastised the bailing out of the Emerald Isle. To wit:
"Step back for a minute and think about that. These debts were incurred, not to pay for public programs, but by private wheeler-dealers seeking nothing but their own profit. Yet ordinary Irish citizens are now bearing the burden of those debts."
Now, this is the same guy who is somehow CERTAIN that we must continue to spend in tune with the Keynesian Model we've worn out completely, and who thinks that bailing out Too Big To Fail Banks was a GOOD idea. Apparently, Professor Krugman has some Irish in him, but not much American? That seems a harsh assessment, but isn't this the same economist who espoused the benefits of publicizing the losses of our Wall Street Buttheads??
Deep sigh.
Now, onto other outrageous crap:
According to my sources (see ZeroHedge.com, Lies Across America), Ireland is providing 20% of its own bailout money by seizing and utilizing pension funds.
In France, 36 billion Euros are being taken over by the Sarkozy administration to pay current debt obligations - from the government pension plan.
In Hungary, it was announced on November 25th, that all private pensions needed to be remanded to state control. It was a democratic choice: Give us your private pension funds, or we'll see to it that you face a minimum of 70% losses.
In Poland, their RRA (public retirement fund) is already being used to fund sovereign debt.
Well, we've done this sort of monkey business with our social security trust fund, right? I mean, it's ugly, but what can you do? Pay into your IRA, your 401(k), and pray the market doesn't tank and take 40% of your account value with it.
Oh, wait, that already happened. In 2008. Oops! Well, the market's going through the roof now, so who cares? Time to get back in the game, as they say!
And, as of February of this year, the Obama Administration is seeing to it that you do just that. You may have heard about "auto-enrollment"?? Here's the thing: Your boss will automatically start taking money from your check, and administering one of the Big Two retirement plans with it. There's all sorts of IRS language, but it's down to a boilerplate, and you don't have to do a thing. How nice for you!! I'd love to be making minimum wage somewhere - if in fact I could GET a minimum wage job - and know that on top of the 30% coming out of my gross pay for taxes, I can turn over another 3 to 5% to have some overpaid flunky rubber-stamp my retirement.
Now, don't get me wrong: you can opt out. I'm not clear on the procedure, but it is, I understand, not that hard. I have nightmare visions of "opt-out" eligibility dates, like open enrollment for health insurance, but I don't have anything to back it up, so I'll assume (for now) that if you don't want to contribute, there's a form for that.
Got me reading, though: apparently Italy tried the same tact in 2007. 75% of Italian Citizens opted out of the auto enrollment; the government regards it as a resounding failure. The UK is currently trying it as well: apparently they're up to 4% auto enrollment. New Zealand has an 18% opt-out rate.
And, here in the US, we have a triumphant "80% Take Up" rate. In other words, only 20% of automatically enrolled workers have opted to keep their money in their own hands. I see that as shameful; it is a slippery slope from "auto enrollment" to "mandatory enrollment", and the final pocket of the middle class is twisted empty, in the name of "austerity".
From savingtoinvest.com: the major points of the Obama package are as follows:
I also have issues with the idea of vacation time - and, one can easily extrapolate to sick time, personal days, and the advent of what may be called "retirement" days - days in which your entire days' pay goes to your IRA/401 (k). I'm familiar with the "use it or lose it" of vacation time - I considered it pointless, as it encourages workers to take time off they may not need/want to take.
The big kahuna of this whole thing, though, has to do with tax returns. If you, the Fed, take my cash dollars out of my paycheck, and then encourage me to accept a slip of paper symbolizing "your" Federal debt, we're gonna box, as the saying goes. Just like paying in too much during the year in the hopes of getting a "big" refund translates to giving the Fed an interest-free loan, I'm against it. To think that I could, at any time in the future, be FORCED to accept Savings Bonds instead of money scares the hell out of me. You should be scared too.
The take-away? Get your damned money OUT of your 401 (k), your IRA, and if you have to, stick it in a safe at home. Hide the stuff in Mason Jars and bury it. Hell, buy gold, or silver, or 2 years' worth of coffee, flour, corn, whatever you regard as a staple.
And, no, I don't think Roth IRA's are safe... yes, they're funded with after-tax dollars, so they should be safe, but really, in this era of the "last great money-grab", do you trust the bankrupt Powers That Be to leave any stone unturned? I wouldn't.
It's time you started using your head, and not counting on Uncle Sam to hold your hand all the way to the grave. That means getting financially educated. Step 1: Tell Uncle Sam to get his fingers off your damn paycheck. We'll talk next time about steps you can take to minimize your taxable income.
Until then, be safe, be smart, be ahead of the curve.
Brutal Truth
Followed, of course, by no lending, no money, and properties (and buildings) with little to no value when stacked up against the tremendous amounts owed on them. Sound familiar?
I first started to fume when Professor Paul Krugman, a Nobel Laureate with whom I often disagree, but actually respect, wrote an op-ed for the NY Times in which he chastised the bailing out of the Emerald Isle. To wit:
"Step back for a minute and think about that. These debts were incurred, not to pay for public programs, but by private wheeler-dealers seeking nothing but their own profit. Yet ordinary Irish citizens are now bearing the burden of those debts."
Now, this is the same guy who is somehow CERTAIN that we must continue to spend in tune with the Keynesian Model we've worn out completely, and who thinks that bailing out Too Big To Fail Banks was a GOOD idea. Apparently, Professor Krugman has some Irish in him, but not much American? That seems a harsh assessment, but isn't this the same economist who espoused the benefits of publicizing the losses of our Wall Street Buttheads??
Deep sigh.
Now, onto other outrageous crap:
According to my sources (see ZeroHedge.com, Lies Across America), Ireland is providing 20% of its own bailout money by seizing and utilizing pension funds.
In France, 36 billion Euros are being taken over by the Sarkozy administration to pay current debt obligations - from the government pension plan.
In Hungary, it was announced on November 25th, that all private pensions needed to be remanded to state control. It was a democratic choice: Give us your private pension funds, or we'll see to it that you face a minimum of 70% losses.
In Poland, their RRA (public retirement fund) is already being used to fund sovereign debt.
Well, we've done this sort of monkey business with our social security trust fund, right? I mean, it's ugly, but what can you do? Pay into your IRA, your 401(k), and pray the market doesn't tank and take 40% of your account value with it.
Oh, wait, that already happened. In 2008. Oops! Well, the market's going through the roof now, so who cares? Time to get back in the game, as they say!
And, as of February of this year, the Obama Administration is seeing to it that you do just that. You may have heard about "auto-enrollment"?? Here's the thing: Your boss will automatically start taking money from your check, and administering one of the Big Two retirement plans with it. There's all sorts of IRS language, but it's down to a boilerplate, and you don't have to do a thing. How nice for you!! I'd love to be making minimum wage somewhere - if in fact I could GET a minimum wage job - and know that on top of the 30% coming out of my gross pay for taxes, I can turn over another 3 to 5% to have some overpaid flunky rubber-stamp my retirement.
Now, don't get me wrong: you can opt out. I'm not clear on the procedure, but it is, I understand, not that hard. I have nightmare visions of "opt-out" eligibility dates, like open enrollment for health insurance, but I don't have anything to back it up, so I'll assume (for now) that if you don't want to contribute, there's a form for that.
Got me reading, though: apparently Italy tried the same tact in 2007. 75% of Italian Citizens opted out of the auto enrollment; the government regards it as a resounding failure. The UK is currently trying it as well: apparently they're up to 4% auto enrollment. New Zealand has an 18% opt-out rate.
And, here in the US, we have a triumphant "80% Take Up" rate. In other words, only 20% of automatically enrolled workers have opted to keep their money in their own hands. I see that as shameful; it is a slippery slope from "auto enrollment" to "mandatory enrollment", and the final pocket of the middle class is twisted empty, in the name of "austerity".
From savingtoinvest.com: the major points of the Obama package are as follows:
- Expansion of Automatic Enrollment to small business, creating as near a universal enrollment of working citizens as possible.
- Converting unused Vacation time to investment in the Big Two retirement plans.
- Encouraging Americans to take their federal tax refund in Savings Bonds.
I also have issues with the idea of vacation time - and, one can easily extrapolate to sick time, personal days, and the advent of what may be called "retirement" days - days in which your entire days' pay goes to your IRA/401 (k). I'm familiar with the "use it or lose it" of vacation time - I considered it pointless, as it encourages workers to take time off they may not need/want to take.
The big kahuna of this whole thing, though, has to do with tax returns. If you, the Fed, take my cash dollars out of my paycheck, and then encourage me to accept a slip of paper symbolizing "your" Federal debt, we're gonna box, as the saying goes. Just like paying in too much during the year in the hopes of getting a "big" refund translates to giving the Fed an interest-free loan, I'm against it. To think that I could, at any time in the future, be FORCED to accept Savings Bonds instead of money scares the hell out of me. You should be scared too.
The take-away? Get your damned money OUT of your 401 (k), your IRA, and if you have to, stick it in a safe at home. Hide the stuff in Mason Jars and bury it. Hell, buy gold, or silver, or 2 years' worth of coffee, flour, corn, whatever you regard as a staple.
And, no, I don't think Roth IRA's are safe... yes, they're funded with after-tax dollars, so they should be safe, but really, in this era of the "last great money-grab", do you trust the bankrupt Powers That Be to leave any stone unturned? I wouldn't.
It's time you started using your head, and not counting on Uncle Sam to hold your hand all the way to the grave. That means getting financially educated. Step 1: Tell Uncle Sam to get his fingers off your damn paycheck. We'll talk next time about steps you can take to minimize your taxable income.
Until then, be safe, be smart, be ahead of the curve.
Brutal Truth
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Will You Be Giving Thanks Next Year?
I'm not a big eater at Thanksgiving. I don't consider this virtue or vice; I can only reasonably eat so much at a time. It has to do with being full. Once there, I'm done. Can't help it. However, I love to cook, and I do so with gusto, happily preparing enough food to feed an awful lot of people, or a few people an awful lot. Thanksgiving is a great day to cook to my heart's content, and I'm glad to carry on the tradition this year with family and friends.
I couldn't help but think about food prices - I was buying food, after all (!) for this year's bonanza, and paying more this year than last, but what the hell, it's a holiday, right? So, I bought, and I will cook, and enjoy it, and hopefully so will the people who end up eating what I bring to the table.
What about next year? I've already told you about food inflation, fuel inflation, etc. What will we be eating next year?
Things you should be buying right now: wheat flour, rice, corn products, raisins, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits. You should also be buying things with which you may well be able to barter next year: honey, sugar, syrup, soda, beer and/or booze. If it costs money to make it or ship it to you, buy it. I don't eat white sugar, but plenty of people do. I'm not a big fan of soda, but I know people who can't get through a day without it. Same thing with coffee, although I AM a fan of that. Peanut butter. Equal. Vegetable and olive oils. Yeast blocks and packets. Salt. Rice - brown and/or white.
Do you use heating oil, Natural Gas, or Propane in your home? Top off the tanks. Even if you don't need it "right now", and even if it hurts the wallet. In six months, you can thank me. Or not, you'll have saved a bunch of much-needed dollars if you use that money while prices aren't spiking. I'm currently carrying 3-80 gallon tanks of propane on property. 1 is empty, and I'll refill it within 30 days. Note that 1 tank of propane lasts 6 months; I wish I had 5 more on hand; I'd fill those too.
Have you done anything yet about storing water? Get on it; in times of shortage and near-shortage, prices spike before the wells run dry. Google "water buffalo" - you can store water safely without a huge investment. And we all know you need water, no matter where you are.
Thanksgiving: yes, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for my health, my home, my loved ones, my friends, my pets, and beautiful weather (there's just nothing like going for a swim in November; I never get used to it). I'm grateful to live in a republic that still allows me to publish and express my opinions, even if they're not party line. I'm grateful to be able to stockpile provisions when I see bad things coming. I'm grateful that the "worst" is not yet here.
I'd be especially grateful if I were wrong about all of it. Obviously, I don't think I am, but how cool would that be?
I've been paying a lot of attention to Ireland, Portugal, and Spain this week. I understand, from my friends at ZeroHedge.com, that the "emergency fund" originally set up to protect EU member governments in time of crisis, will not be able to fund the bailouts needed by the three countries above. Not even with substantial help from the IMF.
I'm also watching the slow train-wreck that is the passing of "austerity" measures on the populations of these countries. You literally "ain't seen nothin' yet", as far as public unrest and civilian casualties. This is what happens when governments reward the elites that brought down this house of cards, and punish the people who saved them.
So, I guess, in the end, I'm grateful that "austerity" measures haven't taken hold here, yet. Don't take it for granted, though; somehow we 'Mericans voted in a bunch of the cronies and lap-dogs of the Wall Street interests. This will bring the "belt tightening" to the forefront of discussion, and don't think for a minute that you/we (the working class) will be exempt. On the contrary, they're looking to squeeze every last gasp of hope we had up the ladder to the top 1%.
So, eat, drink, hug the people you love. And stock up on staples for Black Friday, instead of cheap Chinese crap.
Then, maybe next year, you can be Thankful again.
Brutal Truth
I couldn't help but think about food prices - I was buying food, after all (!) for this year's bonanza, and paying more this year than last, but what the hell, it's a holiday, right? So, I bought, and I will cook, and enjoy it, and hopefully so will the people who end up eating what I bring to the table.
What about next year? I've already told you about food inflation, fuel inflation, etc. What will we be eating next year?
Things you should be buying right now: wheat flour, rice, corn products, raisins, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits. You should also be buying things with which you may well be able to barter next year: honey, sugar, syrup, soda, beer and/or booze. If it costs money to make it or ship it to you, buy it. I don't eat white sugar, but plenty of people do. I'm not a big fan of soda, but I know people who can't get through a day without it. Same thing with coffee, although I AM a fan of that. Peanut butter. Equal. Vegetable and olive oils. Yeast blocks and packets. Salt. Rice - brown and/or white.
Do you use heating oil, Natural Gas, or Propane in your home? Top off the tanks. Even if you don't need it "right now", and even if it hurts the wallet. In six months, you can thank me. Or not, you'll have saved a bunch of much-needed dollars if you use that money while prices aren't spiking. I'm currently carrying 3-80 gallon tanks of propane on property. 1 is empty, and I'll refill it within 30 days. Note that 1 tank of propane lasts 6 months; I wish I had 5 more on hand; I'd fill those too.
Have you done anything yet about storing water? Get on it; in times of shortage and near-shortage, prices spike before the wells run dry. Google "water buffalo" - you can store water safely without a huge investment. And we all know you need water, no matter where you are.
Thanksgiving: yes, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for my health, my home, my loved ones, my friends, my pets, and beautiful weather (there's just nothing like going for a swim in November; I never get used to it). I'm grateful to live in a republic that still allows me to publish and express my opinions, even if they're not party line. I'm grateful to be able to stockpile provisions when I see bad things coming. I'm grateful that the "worst" is not yet here.
I'd be especially grateful if I were wrong about all of it. Obviously, I don't think I am, but how cool would that be?
I've been paying a lot of attention to Ireland, Portugal, and Spain this week. I understand, from my friends at ZeroHedge.com, that the "emergency fund" originally set up to protect EU member governments in time of crisis, will not be able to fund the bailouts needed by the three countries above. Not even with substantial help from the IMF.
I'm also watching the slow train-wreck that is the passing of "austerity" measures on the populations of these countries. You literally "ain't seen nothin' yet", as far as public unrest and civilian casualties. This is what happens when governments reward the elites that brought down this house of cards, and punish the people who saved them.
So, I guess, in the end, I'm grateful that "austerity" measures haven't taken hold here, yet. Don't take it for granted, though; somehow we 'Mericans voted in a bunch of the cronies and lap-dogs of the Wall Street interests. This will bring the "belt tightening" to the forefront of discussion, and don't think for a minute that you/we (the working class) will be exempt. On the contrary, they're looking to squeeze every last gasp of hope we had up the ladder to the top 1%.
So, eat, drink, hug the people you love. And stock up on staples for Black Friday, instead of cheap Chinese crap.
Then, maybe next year, you can be Thankful again.
Brutal Truth
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